Ombre (oum-bray) is the style for lazy people. I fully embrace that fact. The look, whose name comes from the French word for “shaded” or “shading,” is captured usually by lightening the ends of the hair to about mid-shaft, slowly blending into your natural (darker) roots color. The lazy part is, unlike most color jobs, you don’t have to worry about touching up the roots.

The trendy style has been seen for the past year or so, and isn’t dead yet. In fact, my venture into the ombre world was due to Miley Cyrus’ effortless locks at the LA premiere of The Hunger Games last month (right). Of course, as I sit here resembling a skunk, maybe Miley is the only one who can pull this off. Ombre is simple, low-maintenance and also cost-effective (no touchups), if it’s done right. To avoid skunk hair, listen up.

OMBRE DO

Find a stylist who has done it before. It pays off especially if you don’t totally understand how to achieve the look yourself.

Google-image until you jam your hand from clicking. Ombre can be natural-looking, or more dramatic, and finding an image of exactly what you want is a lifesaver.

Get your hair trimmed BEFORE, not after the coloring, because you don’t want to cut off the lightest ends and ruin the impact.

OMBRE DON’T

Don’t think you can DIY this tricky style. The gradation is important, and difficult to do.

Don’t assume the stylist knows what you want. Talk it out and take the time to make sure you are both on the same page, referring to the picture of your wish.

Don’t penny-pinch. You get what you pay for, and to look good is worth a price.

So, even though I’m not so happy with the outcome of my ombre experiment, I haven’t gone back to get my hair redone (after all, the stylist thought I looked “so great”). That’s partly because if I wear it curly, the less than gentle color line between the Lizzie McGuire blond and my regular brown is not so obvious. And, as I said earlier, I’m lazy.

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